Design And Synthesis Of Imidazopyridine Derivatives As Novel Hsp90 Inhibitors For The Treatment Of Cancer

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL The molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is involved in folding and stabilization of a wide range of client proteins, including key proteins involved in cancer. Through structure-based design, we synthesized a novel imidazopyridine class of potent HSP90 inhibitors. The synthesis and SAR surrounding this class of compounds will be discussed. The extensive SAR study and lead optimization resulted in the identification of the development candidate CUDC-305, later renamed Debio 0932. Debio 0932 displays high oral bioavailability (96% in mouse), high drug concentrations and a prolonged half-life (20 hr) in tumor tissues. In vitro, Debio 0932 displays potent HSP90 inhibitory activity (IC50, 100 nM) as well as anti-proliferation and apoptosis-inducing activities against a broad range of cancer cell lines (IC50, 40 – 900 nM). In vivo, Debio 0932 is highly effective against various cancer models including NSCLC, AML, breast and colorectal cancers, as well as brain cancers, benefited by its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier to reach therapeutic levels in brain tissue. Debio 0932 also exhibits high selectivity and a favorable safety profile. It was therefore selected as a drug candidate and is currently in Phase 1 clinical trials. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3249. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3249